diff --git a/tools/chatgui-android/app/src/main/java/com/utun/chat/data/StreamPlayerEngine.kt b/tools/chatgui-android/app/src/main/java/com/utun/chat/data/StreamPlayerEngine.kt
index 94764275..01c47863 100644
--- a/tools/chatgui-android/app/src/main/java/com/utun/chat/data/StreamPlayerEngine.kt
+++ b/tools/chatgui-android/app/src/main/java/com/utun/chat/data/StreamPlayerEngine.kt
@@ -151,6 +151,7 @@ class StreamPlayerEngine(private val group: Long, private val source: Long, priv
             signal = NativeLib.streamSignalCreate(id).also { check(it != 0L) { "Viewer notification initialization failed" } }
             video = StreamVideoPlayback(id, surface, requestedAtUs,
                 wake = { NativeLib.streamSignalNotify(signal) }, onRendered = { if (running) mutableStatus.value = R.string.stream_live })
+            video.start()
             LogManager.addLog("INFO", "stream", "viewer audio worker started id=$id preparedPcmMs=250 audioAheadUs=500000")
 
             while (running && surface.isValid) {
diff --git a/tools/chatgui-android/app/src/main/java/com/utun/chat/data/StreamVideoPlayback.kt b/tools/chatgui-android/app/src/main/java/com/utun/chat/data/StreamVideoPlayback.kt
index 4ccc6980..622fed52 100644
--- a/tools/chatgui-android/app/src/main/java/com/utun/chat/data/StreamVideoPlayback.kt
+++ b/tools/chatgui-android/app/src/main/java/com/utun/chat/data/StreamVideoPlayback.kt
@@ -11,7 +11,8 @@ import android.view.Surface
 import java.util.ArrayDeque
 
 /** MediaCodec и pump принадлежат только video worker. Audio worker передаёт кадры через ограниченный
- * mailbox; reset меняет поколение, close дожидается release до освобождения Surface/notification.
+ * mailbox; владелец сохраняет пассивный объект до start. reset меняет поколение.
+ * close ждёт worker до 250 мс и подтверждает release; ошибка сохраняет decoder для повторного close.
  * Ни один вызов MediaCodec не выполняется под mailbox lock или на потоке подготовки звука. */
 internal class StreamVideoPlayback(
     private val id: Long, private val surface: Surface, private val requestedAtUs: Long,
@@ -38,7 +39,8 @@ internal class StreamVideoPlayback(
         private set
     private var inputEnded = false // mailbox lock
     private var activeGeneration = -1L // Далее поля только video worker.
-    private var decoder: MediaCodec? = null
+    private var decoderResources: VideoCodecResources? = null
+    private val decoder: MediaCodec? get() = decoderResources?.codec
     private var video: StreamDecodePump<Frame> = createVideoPump()
     private val info = MediaCodec.BufferInfo()
     private var videoRevision = 0L
@@ -49,7 +51,9 @@ internal class StreamVideoPlayback(
     private val main = Handler(Looper.getMainLooper())
     private val position: Long get() = clock.position
     private val ready: Long get() = clock.ready
-    private val worker = Thread(::run, "stream-video-$id").apply { start() }
+    private val worker = Thread(::run, "stream-video-$id")
+
+    fun start() = worker.start()
 
     val wantsInput: Boolean get() = synchronized(lock) { running && !inputEnded && input.size < 2 }
 
@@ -73,15 +77,23 @@ internal class StreamVideoPlayback(
 
     fun close() {
         synchronized(lock) { running = false; lock.notifyAll() }
-        worker.join()
+        check(Thread.currentThread() !== worker) {
+            LogManager.addLog("ERROR", "video", "video close attempted self join id=$id"); "Video close cannot join its worker"
+        }
+        try { worker.join(250) } catch (e: InterruptedException) {
+            Thread.currentThread().interrupt()
+            LogManager.addLog("ERROR", "video", "video close join interrupted id=$id; owner retained: $e")
+            throw e
+        }
+        check(!worker.isAlive) {
+            LogManager.addLog("ERROR", "video", "video close pending id=$id worker=${worker.state}; owner retained")
+            "Video worker cleanup pending id=$id"
+        }
+        releaseDecoder()
     }
 
     private fun releaseDecoder() {
-        try { decoder?.stop() }
-        catch (e: Exception) { LogManager.addLog("WARN", "video", "decoder stop id=$id: ${e.message}") }
-        try { decoder?.release() }
-        catch (e: Exception) { LogManager.addLog("WARN", "video", "decoder release id=$id: ${e.message}") }
-        decoder = null
+        decoderResources?.close(); decoderResources = null
     }
 
     private fun run() {
@@ -152,8 +164,11 @@ internal class StreamVideoPlayback(
                 wake()
             }
         } finally {
-            releaseDecoder()
-            LogManager.addLog("INFO", "video", "viewer video worker released id=$id")
+            running = false
+            try { releaseDecoder() } catch (e: Exception) {
+                LogManager.addLog("ERROR", "video", "viewer decoder cleanup pending id=$id; retained until close: $e")
+            }
+            LogManager.addLog("INFO", "video", "viewer video worker exited id=$id decoderPending=${decoderResources != null}")
         }
     }
 
@@ -170,19 +185,20 @@ internal class StreamVideoPlayback(
                 if (candidates.isEmpty()) throw UnsupportedCodec("Unsupported decoder ${frame.codec.label}")
                 var failure: Exception? = null
                 for (candidate in candidates) {
-                    var attempt: MediaCodec? = null
                     try {
                         val capabilities = candidate.getCapabilitiesForType(frame.codec.mime)
                         if (!capabilities.isFormatSupported(format)) continue
                         val lowLatency = Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= 30 &&
                             capabilities.isFeatureSupported(MediaCodecInfo.CodecCapabilities.FEATURE_LowLatency)
                         if (Build.VERSION.SDK_INT >= 30) format.setInteger(MediaFormat.KEY_LOW_LATENCY, if (lowLatency) 1 else 0)
-                        attempt = MediaCodec.createByCodecName(candidate.name)
-                        attempt.configure(format, surface, null, 0); attempt.start(); decoder = attempt
+                        val attempt = VideoCodecResources(MediaCodec.createByCodecName(candidate.name), candidate.name)
+                        decoderResources = attempt
+                        val codec = attempt.codec
+                        codec.configure(format, surface, null, 0); codec.start()
                         var firstRendered = true
                         val codecRevision = frame.revision
                         try {
-                            attempt.setOnFrameRenderedListener({ codec, pts, renderedNs ->
+                            codec.setOnFrameRenderedListener({ codec, pts, renderedNs ->
                                 if (firstRendered) {
                                     firstRendered = false
                                     val callbackUs = System.nanoTime() / 1000
@@ -211,8 +227,11 @@ internal class StreamVideoPlayback(
                     } catch (e: Exception) {
                         failure = e
                         LogManager.addLog("WARN", "video", "viewer decoder unavailable id=$id codec=${candidate.name}: ${e.message}")
-                        try { attempt?.release() }
-                        catch (release: Exception) { LogManager.addLog("WARN", "video", "decoder fallback release: ${release.message}") }
+                        try { releaseDecoder() } catch (release: Exception) {
+                            e.addSuppressed(release)
+                            LogManager.addLog("ERROR", "video", "decoder fallback cleanup pending id=$id; aborting replacement: $release")
+                            throw e
+                        }
                         if (!surface.isValid) throw e
                     }
                 }